How to add folders to Design Library

Have you ever wanted to pull custom components and features into your assemblies or part files without having to recreate the same geometry repeatedly? If you answered yes to this question, then this is the article for you! In this article, we will walk through the steps to add folders to Design Library in SOLIDWORKS.

Let’s begin by defining what the Design Library is. The Design Library in SOLIDWORKS is a collection of folders that contain frequently used components, features, assemblies, and even annotations; that are able to be pulled into the graphics area with minimal effort. By utilizing this feature in SOLIDWORKS, designers can create a custom library of designs that will help increase productivity and allow them to focus on new designs, instead of redrawing something they have already created twenty times over. In this article, we will be going over how to add folders to the design library.

If you are interested in learning how to create a Library Feature, check out the TriMech webinar >> Master the SOLIDWORKS Design Library- Reusing Features & Sketches – TriMech.

There are two ways to add a folder to the design library. The first method is to open our SOLIDWORKS System Options menu. To locate this, first navigate to the Menu Bar and locate the gear icon near the center of the screen. Once there, activate the dropdown menu and select “Options”, this will open the system options window.

Now, with the system options window, locate the “File Locations” tab. This tab should be halfway down the menu list. This is also highlighted in the image to the right. Next, select the “Design Library” option from the dropdown menu, and then click the “Add” button.

Once selected, navigate to the desired folder, select the folder, and then hit “OK” in the Choose Folder window (Pictured below). This will now add the selected folder to the design library.

The second method to add folders to design library is located within the task pane. By activating the design library tab, the next step is to select the “Add File Location” button. Once selected, the process is now identical to the previous method. Browse to the desired file, select the folder, and hit “OK”. Now, the files saved within this folder can be inserted into the working file as easily as dragging and dropping the file into the graphics area.